


Full Hearts

by rsadelle



Category: Friday Night Lights
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-19
Updated: 2009-02-19
Packaged: 2017-10-28 14:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/309046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I need you to take Gracie Belle to her friend's house," her mom said, which is why Julie's driving her car down some long-ass gravel driveway outside of town with Gracie in the back seat. The driveway ends in front of a sprawling one-story house fronted by a wide porch with a wheelchair ramp and a set of steps leading up to it. Julie parks next to a car, which is in turn next to a pair of trucks and a van.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> There's a happily ever after I want for this show, but I don't want to write the how they got there part of it (although I would totally read it!), which is why I've skipped to the outsider POV on it already existing.
> 
> Also, this is just like every other story I've ever written.

"I need you to take Gracie Belle to her friend's house," her mom said, which is why Julie's driving her car down some long-ass gravel driveway outside of town with Gracie in the back seat. The driveway ends in front of a sprawling one-story house fronted by a wide porch with a wheelchair ramp and a set of steps leading up to it. Julie parks next to a car, which is in turn next to a pair of trucks and a van.

She knocks on the door, and Tim Riggins answers it. He has a toddler chatting away to himself on his hip, and he leans against the doorjamb.

"Julie Saracen," he drawls. "What brings you out here?"

"I, uh, I just brought Grace out here to play." Julie puts her hand on the back of Gracie's head.

Tim crouches down to Gracie's level. "Hey, Grace. We gonna work on your spiral today?"

"Yeah," Gracie says. "I've been practicing."

"All right." Tim stands up and ruffles her hair. "Go on in. I think Noah and Paige are still in the kitchen." Gracie goes past him into the house, and he keeps looking at Julie. "You wanna come in? Have some coffee?"

"No, I should." Julie makes a vague gesture at the car.

Tim just holds the door open. "Come on. Have a cup of coffee," he invites.

"Uh, yeah, okay." Julie follows him into the house. The kitchen is at the back, and there's a giant table with a few chairs and a couple of benches down both sides. The remains of breakfast for a very large number of people litter the table.

"Have a seat." Tim gestures Julie into a chair and gets her a cup of coffee.

A kid a few years younger than Gracie comes in from outside, the screen door banging against the frame behind him.

"Alexander Street," Tim says, and Julie didn't even see him look at the kid, "how many times do I have to tell you no frogs in the house?" He walks over and turns the kid around. "Take it outside." He comes back to the table and takes the chair that corners the one Julie's in.

"Come on, Lyla." Julie recognizes Jason Street's voice coming from another room.

"No," Lyla Garrity answers him, but she's laughing too. "I'm going to be late. Jason, I'm going to be late." She comes through the door into the kitchen and notices Julie. "Hi, Julie."

"Hi, Lyla." Julie stands and they exchange hugs.

"Julie brought Grace over," Tim explains.

"That's great," Lyla says. She bends over Tim and kisses the toddler on the forehead, and then she kisses Tim, the kind of quick goodbye Julie recognizes from watching her parents over the years. "I have a lunch meeting today, but I'll be home by six."

"Have a good day," Tim says. She's through the door toward the front of the house when he calls after her. "Garrity."

"What?" she calls back.

"Garrity!" he calls again.

Julie's in just the right place so that when Lyla steps back into the doorway, she can see both the look of fond exasperation on Lyla's face and the affection on Tim's.

"I love you," Tim says.

The look on Lyla's face softens. "I love you too," she says, and she blows Tim a kiss. "But I can't be late to work," she calls back at him.

"You're the boss," Tim yells at her.

"That's why I can't be late," she yells back, and then the front door closes behind her.

"It gets kind of crazy around here in the mornings," Tim says. He gestures at the table. "You want something to eat? We usually have breakfast all together during the school year, but we're a little more casual during vacations."

"No, thanks," Julie says. She holds up her coffee cup and takes a sip. "Coffee's fine."

"Suit yourself." Tim reaches for a piece of toast and absently shares it with the toddler he still has cradled in one arm.

"So I guess you're pretty busy around here, huh?" Julie asks.

Tim grins. "Yeah. Got eight kids runnin' around here. Nine with Grace here today."

"Eight kids," Julie says a little faintly. "Wow."

"Yeah, wanted to have a whole football team. Figure with Lyla and Street and me, we're pretty close." Tim kisses the toddler on the forehead and takes him to the door. "You go on out and play." He sets him down outside and yells, "Noah, Lucas is out here too. You keep an eye on him!"

A voice coming from outside yells, "Yes, Daddy Tim!"

Jason Street comes through the door into the kitchen, baby in one hand and the other on the wheel of his chair. "Hey, Julie."

"Hi, Jason." She gets up to hug him too.

"What are you doing here?" Jason's smile is exactly the same way it always has been, open and friendly.

"We're just down for the week, you know, visiting. My dad took Matt over to the school and my mom had a meeting, so I brought Grace over."

"Oh, yeah?" Jason says. "Grace is a good kid. We like having her around."

While they're talking, Tim goes to the fridge and gets a paper bag out of it. He leans over Jason.

"She's cranky today," Jason warns.

"I know she's cranky today," Tim says. "I told you that when we got up this morning." He gives Jason the bag in exchange for the baby, and while he's at it, he kisses Jason.

Julie blinks. She knew Jason, Tim, and Lyla were all living on a ranch together, but nobody said anything about this.

"Don't be late," Tim says. "Friday night. I promised the kids a movie."

"I won't be late." Jason's giving Tim the same kind of fond look Lyla did. "I promise. Julie, good to see you."

"Yeah, you too," Julie says.

Tim hefts the baby up above his head. "You cranky today, baby?" It should be weird to see Tim Riggins playing with a baby, but she remembers him doing the same thing with Gracie Belle that time he stayed with them.

"I love you, Riggs," Jason calls from somewhere else in the house.

"Love you too, Six," Tim calls back before the front door closes again. The baby starts to cry, and he stands up and rocks her a little. "You're cranky today, huh, baby? I know what you want. I know what you want." He takes her into the other room and when he comes back, she has a pacifier in her mouth. "Even matches your outfit. Your mama would be real proud." He sits down at the table again, the baby held easily in one arm.

"So they work and you don't?" Julie asks.

Tim gives her this look. It's a look that says he can't believe she just asked such a stupid question, and she's getting it from Tim Riggins. "You ever try runnin' a household for eleven people?" he asks. "That's work right there."

"No, I know." Julie struggles for what she really wants to ask. "But it doesn't bother you not to have a job?"

Tim leans toward her. "My whole life," he says, "I've only ever been good at two things: football and screwin' up. But I'm good at this." He tucks his chin down and kisses the top of the baby's head. "I can take care of eight kids and still have dinner ready for Street and Lyla when they get home."

Julie considers that for a moment. "It's just. Matt's an artist, and he's had a few shows, but he hasn't sold much, and I'm making most of the money." She looks down into her coffee cup. "I think Matt thinks he should be making money because he's the man."

Tim puts a hand over one of hers. "Julie, you should talk to your husband about this."

It takes a moment, but she can feel the corners of her mouth twitch, and then she's laughing. "I can't believe you're telling me that," she says.

Tim sits back and grins at her. "Making things work with a family like this means we have to talk to each other." He laughs. "That's what J keeps telling us, anyway." He bounces the baby a little. "Lyla and me, we'd just kind of keep going along, livin' our lives if it were up to us."

The screen door bangs, breaking the moment, and a couple of kids come racing through the kitchen.

"No running in the house," Tim calls after them, and a chorus of "Sorry, Daddy Tim," comes floating back to them.

"It really is chaos around here, huh?" Julie says.

"Yeah," Tim agrees, but he looks happy about it.

"They all yours?" It's a nosy question, but, hell, this is already a pretty personal conversation.

"Legally, yeah," Tim says. "We adopted some of 'em." He holds up his left hand, and Julie notices the plain gold band around his ring finger. "It's why Lyla and I got married. More likely to get the kids that way."

"You seem happy," Julie says. She can't remember if she ever saw him this happy back in high school.

Tim smiles down at the baby in his arms. "I am." He stands up and hands her the baby. "This is Jeanie, you wanna hold her?"

The kid's already in her arms, so she can't really refuse. "Yeah, sure." She bounces Jeanie a little. "Hi, Jeanie." Tim gathers up plates, rinses them, and loads the dishwasher. Julie notices that every few minutes, he looks out the door or the window, checking on the kids, she guesses.

"This was always what we talked about, having a ranch," Tim tells her. "Street and me, when we were growing up." He laughs a little. "Always thought we'd have cows, though, not kids."

"I don't know if I want kids," Julie blurts out. "I mean, I know I don't want to turn out like my mom. That's not the life I want."

Tim turns to look at her, leaning back against the counter. "Just because you got kids doesn't mean you gotta be your parents." He spreads his arms. "Look at me. I got eight of 'em, and I'm nothing like my dad."

"Yeah, I know." Julie sighs and looks down at Jeanie. "I just don't want to end up at home raising kids."

Tim comes forward and takes Jeanie from her. "Well, you don't have to." He hefts Jeanie up in the air and then holds her close to his chest. "Just because other people do it, doesn't mean it's the right life for you." He walks to the door and looks out at the yard. "I think we're gonna play some football today." He turns back to Julie. "You wanna stick around, play with us?"

Julie glances up at the clock on the wall. "No, thanks. I'm supposed to meet Lois. I should get going." She stands up and doesn't quite know what to do with her coffee cup. Tim comes over and takes it from her.

"Well, all right," he says. He puts the coffee cup in the sink and walks her to the door. "You bring Seven with you next time you come out to visit us."

"I will." Julie turns just outside the door and smiles at him. "Thanks, Tim."

"You're welcome." Tim steps forward and hugs her, the baby a solid warmth between them. He closes the door, and Julie gets into her car.

She really is supposed to meet Lois, and she's late already, but she goes to the school first.

"Jules, honey, can you get off my field?" her dad calls when she walks between him and Matt.

"No," she yells back. She goes up to Matt.

"Julie, what are you doing here?"

"I love you," she says. She puts both hands on his face and kisses him.

He kisses her back and then asks, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she says. She smiles at him and then kisses him again. "Everything's fine. I have to go meet Lois, but I'll see you later." She can't resist kissing him one more time before she jogs off across the field. "I love you," she calls back, and both Matt and her dad yell, "I love you too," back at her.


End file.
